As if sensing an anomaly behind him, Dugu Fan instinctively turned his head to look.
The sight that greeted him sent a jolt of shock through his mind.
There, behind him, stood a colossal and hideous worm, its grotesque eyes fixed upon him with a predatory gaze.
In that instant, the giant worm lunged, its massive jaws agape, attempting to swallow him whole.
"Bloodfire Palm!"
Dugu Fan reacted swiftly, forcing back the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine with a palm strike. He spun around to face the monstrous worm, his body radiating intense heat.
As he gathered his energy, his blood seemed to boil within him, his entire being resembling a blazing inferno.
Flames engulfed his body, giving him the appearance of a fiery deity. A surge of scorching power coursed through his veins.
He thrust out his palm, aiming to crush the giant worm before him.
Boom!
Just as his palm shot forward, a bolt of lightning split the sky, striking him directly on the head. Dugu Fan's movements faltered.
In that split second, the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine, which he had momentarily evaded, shot towards him like a bolt of lightning, piercing his body.
The searing pain from the vine's penetration jolted Dugu Fan back to awareness.
He glared down at the vine protruding from his chest, his face contorted in a grimace. With a roar, he tore the vine from his flesh.
At that moment...
The Deathworm spewed a stream of venom, engulfing Dugu Fan.
The Deathworm's venom was its deadliest weapon. A single drop could melt flesh in an instant.
Upon contact, the venom rapidly neutralized the protective aura around Dugu Fan.
Suddenly, Dugu Fan's meridians pulsed violently, as if something was trying to burst free. He thrashed uncontrollably, a look of madness in his eyes. Tiny, blood-red worms writhed beneath his skin.
The worms squirmed frantically, as if sensing danger.
Dugu Fan convulsed in agony, his coughs wracked his body. His face contorted in pain.
However, the energy released by the rampaging worms within him began to counteract the venom, slowly evaporating it.
Seizing the opportunity, the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine struck again. Several vines shot towards Dugu Fan, swiftly burrowing into his body.
Once inside, the vines unfurled countless tendrils.
Instead of feasting on Dugu Fan's flesh and blood, the tendrils surged towards the blood-red worms, as if drawn to something irresistible.
The blood-red worms scattered in a frenzy as the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine invaded their host.
"Argh! Argh!"
Dugu Fan's screams echoed through the air as the worms thrashed within him.
The tendrils of the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine relentlessly pursued the fleeing worms.
In no time, the tendrils had spread throughout Dugu Fan's entire body, ensnaring every last blood-red worm.
As each worm was captured, the tendrils coiled tightly around them, and a strange crunching sound emanated from within Dugu Fan.
Thump!
With the last of the blood-red worms consumed, Dugu Fan's body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
He was still alive, but barely.
His face was ashen, his breath shallow and ragged.
He looked at Su Hao, his eyes filled with fear.
This monstrous creature had to be connected to him.
The Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine retreated from Dugu Fan's body, returning to Su Hao. It hadn't devoured him.
The Deathworm, meanwhile, proceeded to consume the corpses in the courtyard one by one, including the barely-alive Dugu Fan. Once finished, it turned to Su Hao and let out a low growl.
Su Hao regarded the Deathworm's massive form, contemplating how to conceal it.
Unlike the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine, it couldn't shrink or merge with his body.
The Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine was a reward from a Gold Card, while the Deathworm was from a Silver Card. Their quality and level were different.
Although the Deathworm was powerful, it lacked the unique abilities of the Bloodthirsty Demonic Vine.
"Should I store the Deathworm in my system space?" Su Hao wondered.
"My system space only has five cubic meters. If I store the Deathworm inside, I'll only have about two cubic meters left!"
Su Hao sighed inwardly. He had no other choice. He couldn't leave the Deathworm out in the open, at least not yet.
With a resigned sigh, he approached the Deathworm and placed his hand on its head, storing it within his system space.
"I wonder when a quest to expand my system space will appear," Su Hao muttered to himself.
"Bloodthirsty Demon quest completed. Reward: 200 sign-in points, 1 Silver Draw Card. Items have been added to your inventory."
The system notification sounded in his mind.
"This courtyard needs a complete makeover."
Su Hao surveyed the carnage outside the main hall.
Just then...
Liu Bin, who had been kicked into the back room, slowly regained consciousness and stumbled back to the main hall.
"This..."
He gagged at the sight of the blood-soaked courtyard and the lingering stench of gore. Only then did he notice Su Hao standing nearby.
"Chief, where are the County Magistrate and the others?"
The last he remembered, a fierce battle had been raging. Now, the County Magistrate was nowhere to be seen.
"They won't be bothering us anymore. Don't worry about them. Get someone to clean this mess up!" Su Hao instructed.
He glanced at the ground again and shook his head. "This is going to cost a fortune to repair."
The thought of money made his eyes gleam.
He turned back to Liu Bin. "Issue a wanted poster immediately. Declare that Dugu Fan murdered County Magistrate Li Nantian and is now a fugitive. Also, report this matter to the Fucheng Arrest Court and have them notify the Fucheng government. They need to dispatch a new County Magistrate."
"After that, take some men to the county government office. Secure the premises in the name of the Arrest Court until the new County Magistrate arrives from Fucheng. You know what to do after that, right?" Su Hao added meaningfully.
"Secure the county government office... I understand. But Chief, I don't quite understand what you mean by 'after that,'" Liu Bin confessed, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Su Hao blinked. This fellow was usually quite sharp. Why was he being obtuse now?
"County Magistrate Li Nantian has been in charge of Qingyuan County for many years. He must have amassed quite a fortune. Now that he's gone, what's the point of leaving his wealth untouched?" Su Hao hinted gently.
"Ah, I understand, Chief! I'll get right on it!"
Liu Bin's eyes widened in realization. He wasted no time in rushing out of the hall, calling for his men. He needed to seize County Magistrate Li Nantian's assets and bring them to Su Hao as soon as possible.